Within the Spark‑Heritage Zone of the Archaic Hall, four great Star‑Gates stand, ranked from weakest to strongest: the Standard Gate, Primordial Gate, Primeval Gate, and Eternal Gate.
The number of Geniuses within each Star‑Gate decreases as the rank rises.
The Standard Gate holds the most Geniuses, followed by the Primordial Gate; the Primeval Gate and the Eternal Gate are the rarest of all.
However.
For Reserve‑tier Cultivation Geniuses, even the weakest Standard Gate is a distant, unattainable dream. The gates above—Primordial and Primeval—lie utterly beyond their imagination.
......
Spark‑Heritage Zone, Reserve‑tier Void‑City.
Outside the city lies shallow‑red void. The immense city floats in this void, seeming to drift, yet in truth it is as solid as iron, housing tens of millions of Reserve‑tier Cultivation Geniuses and the civil officials who serve the Spark‑Heritage Zone.
Bustling crowds and endless traffic cannot begin to describe its majestic, boundless atmosphere.
Vast interconnected streets teem with low‑altitude floating vehicles, high‑altitude rail transports, and advanced technological devices handling colossal cargo flows.
Beyond this,
the city’s inhabitants are strikingly diverse.
Though this is a Human Supreme Hall domain, Star‑Sky Humans include both Commonline Humans and special‑line Humans. Some possess extraordinary forms—winged backs, three heads and six arms—far beyond the comprehension of ordinary humans.
......
Somewhere inside the city, an administrative office.
A young man with wings on his back wanders idly at the office entrance, occasionally gazing out at the shallow‑red void beyond the city, his eyes filled with longing.
He hails from the Tianyu Empire of the Galaxis Stellar System.
He is a Reserve‑tier Cultivation Genius, yearning to ascend to the Standard Gate.
“Sigh, the Genius standard is far too high.” He lets out a heavy, heartfelt sigh and gazes into the void. “I’ll probably never get the chance to witness the Standard Gate with my own eyes in this lifetime.”
He stands there, lost in melancholy for a while.
He shakes his head, a cold gleam flashing in his eyes: “In this Reserve‑tier Cultivation City, our Tianyu Empire has eighty‑six people. The Chenriver Empire, which shares our stellar system, has only twenty—less than a quarter of ours.”
“Our two empires have been rivals for ages.”
“In a few more years, as Chenriver’s cultivation talents dwindle, our Tianyu Empire will petition the Ancient Kingdom for full authority over the stellar system. By then, Chenriver will have no place left to stand!”
The winged youth snorts inwardly, proud and cold.
Just then, an elderly man with white hair hurriedly lands nearby, pulls out a silver metal card, and strides into the office, looking anxious and flustered, sweat beading on his forehead.
“Chief, what’s happened?” The winged youth follows him into the office.
“A major event, a major event!” The white‑haired elder trembles, his voice shaking as well. “A certain enlightenment‑type opportunity at the Primeval Gate has had a sudden quota overflow—it may spill over to the Primordial Gate!”
Primeval Gate?
Primordial Gate?
No matter which gate it is, both are utterly out of reach for the winged youth.